Material handling mechanism



June 18, 1940. w0| Tz MATERIAL HANDLING MECHANISM Filed June 28, 1938 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Fm Q (ML/0,717. U A7734 June 18, 1940- E. J. WOLTZ MATERIAL HANDLING MECHANISM 2 Shets-Sheet 2 Filed June 28, 1938 C414" 72 7km I //v VE/VTOR. EARL J. Wow?- BY Patented June 18, 1940 UNITED STATES iATENT QFFHQE MATERIAL HANDLING MECHANISM Earl J. Woltz, Columbus, Ohio, assignor to The Jeffrey Manufacturing Company, a corporation of Ohio Application June 28,1938, Serial No. 216,317

6 Claims.

pans may be readily removed and which will prevent troughing along the edges thereof.

Another object of the invention is to provide a simple removable screen pan.

Still another object of the invention is to provide a simple but effective frame structure for a dewatering screen adapted to receive removable screen pans.

; Other objects of the invention will appear hereinafter, the novel features and combinations being set forth in the appended claims.

In the accompanying drawings,

Fig. l is a side elevational view showing an installation comprising my invention with a sludge tank shown in section;

Fig. 2 is a transverse sectional View taken on the line 22 of Fig. 1 looking in the direction of the arrows;

Fig. 3 is an oblique view of an enlarged section of the screen;

Fig. 4 is an enlarged view of a detail showing a portion of the frame structure; and

Fig. 5 is a sectional view of a detail of Fig. 4

showing also the pan mounting.

Referring particularly to Fig. 1 of the drawings, there is illustrated a superstructure it from which is suspended a double deck dewatering screen H, by means of wood hang rods i2. The

dewatering screen H comprises a pair of upper longitudinally extending channels l3, l3 and a pair of bottom longitudinally extending angles 14, M which are connected together at their ends by rear side plates l5 and front side plates 56. I

The lower flange of each channel it is severed at spaced intervals so that intermediate the front side plates IE and rear side plates ii there are provided upstanding connecting angles H, H (see Fig. 2), which are riveted to members l3, i3

and i4, i4 and are in transverse alignment with the hang rods l2. The members l3, l3; and is, M are connected together by angle cross-pieces 45 to maintain said members I3, It and i l, H5 in predetermined lateral spaced relation. Brackets l8, 18 are rigidly attached to said hang rods l2, cross-pieces 45 and connecting plates ll as by bolts 44 to effect the aforementioned suspension of the double deck dewatering screen H from the superstructure l0. Brackets it, it riveted to cross-pieces and channels l3, l3 reinforce the connection between them. i may be stated that the hang rods ii are preferably made of wood be cause or" the resiliency of this material which results in a relatively long life of said hang rods.

Oscillatory movement of the double deck de- 5 watering screen ii is provided by means of an electric motor it, reduction drive mechanism 2i} and pitman 2i. Material, such as cleaned coal, containing an appreciable amount of water coming from a gravity separator, such as a jig, is fed 10;

to the double deck screen ii by way of feed chute 22. Material from the lower dewatering screens ii is delivered to a scraper conveyor 23 while that from the upper of said screens is delivered to a similar scraper conveyor not shown 16 wardly thereof.

Forming the screening portion of said upper dewatering screen is a plurality of pans it each comprising bottom plate 2? having perforations 30 28 over substantially the entire surface thereof which may be of any desired size, such as from inch to 1 inch, to effect a sizing and dewatering cf the coal received over the feed chute 22. The

forward and rearward edges of each pan 26 are provided with downwardly ext-ending integral reinforcing flanges 29 and the lateral edges thereof are provided with upwardly extending integral flanges 33, which flanges it make substantially a right angle with the plane of said bottom plate El. At spaced intervals along said pan 26 and in alignment with the projections or lugs E i are notches or slots 3i adapted to receive said projections or lugs 24. It is to be particularly noted that the'notches or slots 3i are effected by re- 45 moving material both from the bottom plate 21 and a flange 30. That is, said notches or slots 35 extend into both the bottom plate 2i and the flanges 853. This has two important results. In the first place it provides for the ready removal of the pans 26. by virtue of the fact that said pans can be removed substantially vertically and the slots or notches it will clear the innermost projections of the lugs 24.

Furthermore, it has been found in practice 55} that an effective angular trough is formed at the juncture between the lateral edge of the bottom plate 27 and the flange 30 if such juncture is longitudinally continuous. Such structure would allow water to flow continuously down this angular trough and over the end of the dewatering screen when it should pass through said dewatering screen. It is manifest that the notches or slots 3| prevent any such continuous trough being formed along the edges of the pans 28 and as a consequence insure the complete drainage of water therefrom. Thus not only has a very simple and effective removable support been provided for the pans 26 but this support also prevents edge troughing of liquid.

The lower of the double deck dewatering screens is formed by the aforementioned angles I4 and removable pans 32 which are removably attached to said angles M by bolts 33 cooperating with upstanding flanges on the lateral edges of the pans 32. It may be stated that the pans 32 are provided with relatively small perforations 34 since it is desirable that only the smallest sized material, such as sand, clay and wet coal dust, pass through them with the water, but it is desirable that substantially all the water which comes over with the coal freely pass through said perforations 3%. In practice, I frequently make the perforations 34! of herring bone design of one inch by 4; inch slots, so as to have the desirable screening action.

Positioned below the double deck dewatering screen H is a trough or sluiceway 35 which catches the water and fine material, such as fine coal, sand and clay carried with it through said screen pans 32, and delivers it to the primary cell 36 of a sludge tank 3'! where the fine coal, sand and clay are allowed to settle for removal by a conveyor 38 in the primary cell and a con veyor 39 in the final settling tank. It may be stated that the primary cell 36 is separated from the rest of the settling tank by a distribution bafile 40 formed by a plurality of spaced upright members relatively closely positioned to require a relatively uniform flow of liquid therethrough.

Furthermore, to prevent the surging of liquid down the trough or sluiceway 35 and into the primary cell 36 the sloping portion 4! thereof is preferably formed with perforations or provided with a screen to allow a portion of the water to flow therethrough.

Still further, the forward upright plate 42 of the discharge chute 43 associated with said trough or sluiceway 35 is likewise perforated or provided with a screen to break up the liquid flow and to prevent surging of liquid in said primary cell 36.

These features of the trough or sluiceway 35 and of the sludge tank 3'! are the invention of Max A. Matthews.

In the operation of the apparatus comprising my invention the double deck dewatering screen is reciprocated by the motor 5 9, drive mechanisms 20 and 2i, while the material, such as coal, containing an appreciable amount of water as received from a jig is fed at the upper end thereof and flows downwardly thereacross. The water and material capable of passing through the perforations 28 in the screen pans 26 will flow therethrough and onto the screen pans 32. Material incapable of passing through said perforations 28 flows down said pans 26 and onto the receiving conveyor 23. At the same time there is an assurance that water which tends to flow down the longitudinal corners of the pans 26 will be drained therefrom by means of the notches or slots 3|.

Substantially all of the coal which passes through perforations 28, except for the very fine material, will flow down the pans 32 into the receiving scraper conveyor 23. The water, carrying with it very fine coal, clay and sand, passes through the perforations 34 and is received by the trough or sluiceway 35 by which it is directed to the sludge tank 31, being first received in the primary cell 36 thereof and being delivered thereto after being broken up, particularly by the screens at 4| and 42, to prevent surging. The fine coal, clay and sand settles from the water in the sludge tank 3'! by which it is removed by conveyors 38 in a manner well understood in this art.

It is thus evident that I have provided a dewatering screen in which the pans are readily removable by virtue of very simple supporting means, which means also operates to prevent edge troughing of the liquid.

It may be stated that the removable feature of pans Z6 is extremely desirable to the end that pans with different size openings or perforations 28 may be substituted, thereby varying the size range of the coal received by the conveyor 23 and delivered over the discharge end of the upper dewatering screen. This makes for a very flexible type of dewatering screening apparatus which also acts as a controllable sizing screening means adapted for use in a tipple to deliver varying size ranges to different conveyors and to different coal cars, free of the clay, fine sand and water adhering to the coal after leaving the jig or other coal separating apparatus.

Obviously those skilled in the art may make various changes in the details and arrangement of parts without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention as defined by the claims hereto appended, and I therefore wish not to be restricted to the precise construction herein disclosed.

Having thus described and shown an embodiment of my invention, what I desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States is:

1. A dewatering screen comprising a frame formed by spaced side members, a removable perforated pan extending between said side members, means for supporting said pan on said side 0 members for ready removal comprising supporting pins extending inwardly of said side members, said pan having upstanding side flanges provided with pin receiving notches which continue laterally into the pan bottom to permit vertical movement of said pan on and off said pins, said notches also providing water draining means at the angular edges formed by said pan bottom and side flanges to prevent water troughing along said edges.

2. A screen comprising a frame, a removable pan carried by said frame, said pan having a bottom and a side flange, pan supporting lugs on said frame, said pan bottom and side flange being provided with a pin receiving slot which extends continuously from the pan bottom into the 'side flange for supporting said pan on said frame and provides for vertical movement of said pan on and cif said lugs.

3. A screen comprising a frame, a readily removable pan mounted thereon having a bottom and a side flange forming an angular edge, means for removably supporting said pan including projecting means on said frame, said pan having a projecting means receiving slot at said angular edge which slot extends into both said pan bottom and said side flange and provides for vertical movement of said pan on and off said projecting means.

4. In a dewatering screen, the combination with a frame formed of spaced members carrying inward projections, of a removable perforated pan comprising a bottom plate and integral upwardly extending side flanges forming angles, said angles being slotted to receive said projections by continuous slots which cut into both said bottom plate and said side flanges and provide for vertical movement of said pan on and OK said projections.

5. In a device of the class described, the combination with a frame having inward projections,

of a pan mounted on said frame and formed of a bottom plate and upstanding side flanges, and slots for receiving said projections and extending into said bottom and said side flanges and provide for vertical movement of said pan on and off said projections.

6. A dewatering screen pan comprising a perlforated bottom plate having upstanding side flanges forming angles with said bottom, and support forming slots at said angles extending into said flanges and said bottom said slots being adapted to receive supporting lugs which extend into them and to provide for vertical movement of said pan on and oii said supporting lugs. 

